At Fairlea Longhorn Ranch we have a number of what we call our core cows. These are cows who are sound producers, who have far greater than average horn length, and who are correct in all the other ways we expect them to be. In order to meet our criteria, a cow must not only be a proven producer of a healthy calf each year, but she and her calf must have excellent horns, a non aggressive disposition, good conformation, clean lines, and she must meet our visual standards of correctness. The cow must also be a proven good mother and a good milk producer.
Obviously, the standards we have set eliminates most of the Texas Longhorns you will see in sale pens and in average herds. We pride ourselves in having a herd which we believe compares to the very finest in the country, and we are constantly looking to improve it. In horn length alone, the adult female members of the herd (those over 4 years old) average nearly 66” tip to tip.